Courtesy photo Delta Shelter Operation Coordinator Vonnie Bruce reads a story to a group of youth during Happy Tail Story Time.

ESCANABA — A local animal shelter is working to connect youth and pets.

On the first Saturday of each month, the Delta Animal Shelter hosts Happy Tails Story Time, a program featuring animal stories, crafts and playing with the pets at the shelter waiting to be adopted.

Executive Director at Delta Animal Shelter Tonya Gartland said the program started as a way of introducing youth to pets and the shelter.

“We started the program as we wanted to get kids more involved in the shelter so they can come in and learn,” she said.

The program begins at 10:30 a.m. at the shelter and concludes around 11:15 a.m. Gartland said the event is free to attend, but they ask guests to bring some sort of donation if they’re able. The program is geared towards kids ages two to six, but older and younger kids are welcome to attend as well.

“We’re not going to ID them at the door,” Gartland joked.

Attendees are treated to an animal-related story before gathering to make an animal-related craft. Finally, kids and parents visit with the kittens, puppies, bunnies and more.

Gartland added that people, especially kids, have a preconceived notion that animal shelters are sad or even scary; the Happy Tails program is a way to dispel those beliefs.

“A lot of people don’t come to shelters because they think it’s sad, and there’s only a small percentage of people that actually adopt. So this is another way to get people in the doors even if they’re not going to adopt, but (they) can kind of see what we do at the shelter,” she explained.

Attendance varies, but Gartland said kids enjoy being at the shelter and interacting with the animals, especially the shelter’s two rats.

“We have two rats that are in-house rats, and the kids get very excited about them, you know, because rats are great pets, and they’re very interactive with people, and they don’t bite and stuff like that, so the kids really like them,” she said.

Gartland hopes that the kids will have fun and learn more about the shelter.

“We try to find different ways to give back to the community because the community is so great to us. So this is just one little way (that) we can help do that,” she said.

Delta Animal Shelter is always looking for ways to engage with the community through programs such as Happy Tails and its program for seniors, Snuggles for Seniors.

Community Outreach Coordinator Michelle Wood explained that Delta volunteers visit nine facilities in the county, bringing puppies and kittens for residents to play with. She said some residents hold and pet the animals while others admire them or use wand toys to play with the kittens in a pin.

“I think it’s just really opens their world,” Wood said.

Both Wood and Gartland recognize the importance of the contributions to the shelter from the community, saying whenever the shelter is in need, the community rises to the occasion.

“Our community is great, and we appreciate (that) anytime when we ask for something that they step up and provide,” Gartland said.

She added that the shelter has received more donations but goes through supplies fast and could always use more.

“Keep ’em coming,” she said.

To donate, you can visit the shelter located at 6975 County 426 M.5 Road in Escanaba Monday through Friday from 12 to 4 p.m. It is also open on the first and third Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you’re donating supplies after hours, there’s a bin outside the front door where volunteers pick it up the next day. For monetary donations after hours, visit deltaanimal.org and click the donate button in the top right corner, where donations can be sent directly to the shelter via PayPal.